Ecological genetics

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Medical and biology peer-review journal publishes from 2003.

Editor-in-Chief

Founder & Publisher

Journal mission

The journal Ecological genetics accepts for consideration original manuscripts that clarify all aspects of interactions between genetic and ecological processes on any types of organisms and on all levels of living system organization, from molecular to ecosystem one.

The editorial board accepts manuscripts that reflect the results of field and experimental studies, and fundamental research of broad conceptual and/or comparative context.

We welcome the publication of materials that:

  • make a significant contribution to the development of general biological theory and methodology of ecological and genetic research;
  • contribute to a better understanding of genetic mechanisms of the regulation of intra– and inter–species interactions of organisms, as well as ‘organism–environment’ interactions;
  • contribute to a better understanding of modern issues in general biology.

Publications of the journal would be of interest to a wide range of specialists in the fields of ecology, genetics, biochemistry, general biology, evolutionary theory, as well as for physicians and teachers and students of various biological and medical profiles.

Articles types

  • reviews
  • systematic reviews and metaanalyses
  • original research
  • letters to the editor
  • short communications

Indexation

English version

The official languages of the journal are English and Russian. The English version of the article appears on the website three months after the publication of the Russian version.

Articles translated into English have been published in Russian Journal of Genetics: Applied Research from 2011 to 2018. 

Since 2019 the journal publishes articles in Russian and English in parallel.

APC, Publication & Distribution

  • Quarterly issues (4 times a year)
  • Continuoulsly publications online (Online First)
  • Hybrid Access (Open Access articles published with CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License)
  • Articles in English & Russian
  • Article submission charge (see more


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Current Issue

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Vol 23, No 1 (2025)

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Genetic basis of ecosystems evolution

Analysis of the role of tonoplast H+-ATPase in elongation growth of coleoptile cells of rice seedlings with different growth rates under normoxia and submergence
Kirpichnikova A.A., Biktasheva M.O., Yemelyanov V.V., Shishova M.F.
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Rice coleoptiles were used to investigate the importance of V H+-ATPase in vacuolization during elongation growth under normoxic and hypoxic conditions.

AIM of the study was to find out a link between growth intensity, protein amount of subunits B and E and transcription of genes encoding those proteins.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The investigation was carried out on two rice varieties of domestic selection, fast-growing Kuban 3 and slow-growing Amethyst. Seedlings were grown in etiolated conditions at normoxia and submergence. Western-blot analysis was employed to evaluate amount of subunits B and E in microsomal fraction. qRT-PCR was used to distinguish differences in expression of genes encoding subunits B and E of V H+-ATPase.

RESULTS: The growth under aerobic conditions was more consistent with the changes in subunits B and E of V H+-ATPase which was determined at the proteomic level, while the hypoxic growth had a stronger correspondence with changes in OsVHAs gene expression. Varietal differences were revealed only when comparing the transcription intensity, which did not affect the growth dynamics of coleoptiles. Obtained data suggested the existence of differences in the regulation of the enzyme at the transcriptional and proteomic levels during coleoptile elongation.

CONCLUSIONS: The importance of the B and E subunits of V-ATPase involvement in vacuolization during the growth process of rice coleoptiles under different oxygen level was demonstrated.

Ecological genetics. 2025;23(1):5-17
pages 5-17 views
The effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza on gene expression of sweet family in Medicago lupulina under conditions of high available phosphorus level
Kudriashova T.R., Kryukov A.A., Gorbunova A.O., Gorenkova A.I., Kovalchuk A.I., Shishova M.F., Yurkov A.P.
Abstract

BACKGROUND: According to modern concepts, the SWEET family may be the only family of plant sugar transporters that includes genes specifically expressed during the formation and development of plant symbiosis with fungi of arbuscular mycorrhiza. The data on the key genetic markers of the development of effective arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis can contribute an active development of organic agriculture in various conditions of phosphorus availability in the soil.

AIM: to evaluate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza on the expression of SWEET genes in M. lupulina L. during key stages of host plant development (stages of leaves rosette, stooling initiation, stooling, lateral branching initiation, lateral branching and flowering).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed using a highly efficient plant-microbial system “Medicago lupulina + Rhizophagus irregularis” grown under conditions with a high content of available phosphorus in the substrate.

RESULTS: Under condition of high phosphorus level in the substrate it was shown for the first time the MlSWEET1b and MlSWEET3c genes in M. lupulina leaves were characterized by specific expression during mycorrhization.

CONCLUSIONS: MlSWEET1b and MlSWEET3c and their orthologs can be considered as marker genes of effective symbiosis development, as a tool of biotechnology to increase agricultural productivity with using biostimulants based on arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi.

Ecological genetics. 2025;23(1):19-32
pages 19-32 views
Ecological genetics of beetles of the genus Adalia: dynamics of population of A. bipunctata restructuring in Arkhangelsk in conditions of global warming
Zakharov I.A., Rubanovich A.V.
Abstract

The dynamics of the composition of the Adalia bipunctata L. population in Arkhangelsk for 21 years has been studied. The proportion of black individuals decreased by almost 2 times; the average annual temperature at the same time increased from 1.92° to 2.95°. A comparison of the population composition with the average annual temperature showed that the proportion of black individuals in the population is negatively correlated with the average annual temperature. The observed change in population composition is probably the effect of global warming.

Ecological genetics. 2025;23(1):33-38
pages 33-38 views

Methodology in ecological genetics

Shotgun proteomics in the study of adaptive stress responses of plant proteome
Gorbach D.P., Leonova T.S., Orlova A.А., Frolova N.V., Gurina A.K., Danko K.V., Lukasheva E.M., Cherevatskaya M.A., Tsvetkova E.V., Frolov A.A.
Abstract

Due to oncoming climate changes, droughts, high salinity, extreme temperatures became quite common stressors universally occurring in the most of terrestrial habitats. Expansions of these changes are often accompanied with strong herbivore attacks. Due to the outstanding impact of these factors on sustainable agriculture, since several last decades, the biochemistry and molecular biology of plant stress response remains in the focus of the research interest worldwide. Thus, bottom-up proteomics became a versatile tool of plant research in general and of stress biology in particular. As plant-derived materials are recognized as an extremely complex matrix, which is rich in polysaccharides, polyphenols and hardly water-soluble proteins, their proteome is typically analyzed by gel-based techniques. However, recent advances in sample preparation techniques (first of all — protein solubilization and digestion) allowed establishment of gel-free methods for plant-derived samples. Implementation of high-throughput nano-flow reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography coupled on-line to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (nanoRP-HPLC-ESI-MS) gave access to data-rich datasets giving high protein identification rates. Moreover, high reproducibility of HPLC allows highly sensitive and precise quantification. Therefore, over the recent decade, shotgun proteomics became the method of choice in the study of adaptive stress responses of plant proteome. Here we address the bottom-up shotgun proteomics strategy in plant biology and discuss its application to the study of plant stress response. We also discuss the main steps of the plant proteome analysis pipeline and address emerging problems and future perspectives.

Ecological genetics. 2025;23(1):39-63
pages 39-63 views
Application of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) mapping to study the interactions of pea (Pisum sativum L.) with rhizosphere microorganisms
Zhernakov A.I., Gordon M.L., Zorin E.A., Sulima A.S., Zhukov V.A.
Abstract

The review is devoted to the application of quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis to study the interactions of common pea (Pisum sativum L.), one of the most important grain legumes, with soil microorganisms. Pea, like other legumes, forms symbioses with nodule bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi. The formation of symbioses leads to improved nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition of plants, resulting in increased plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stress factors, in particular, to phytopathogens. The main objective of QTL analysis is to identify genomic regions whose allelic state affects the manifestation of quantitative traits, including such traits as nitrogen fixation efficiency and pathogen resistance. The identified QTLs and molecular markers created on their basis can be used in the selection of new pea varieties with improved agronomic characteristics, such as resistance to changing environmental conditions and high efficiency of symbiotic systems. This article reviews the historical stages of the emergence of QTL analysis, the basic principles of QTL mapping, and modern approaches. The need for an integrated approach to the analysis of the characteristics of symbiosis efficiency and stability is noted, and the use of integrated phenotypic assessments for working with such traits is discussed.

Ecological genetics. 2025;23(1):65-79
pages 65-79 views
Genome editing of pea (Pisum sativum L.) using CRISPR/Cas9 technology: Review
Zhuravlev I.Y., Subkhanov L.R., Sulima A.S., Zhernakov A.I., Tikhonovich I.A., Zhukov V.A.
Abstract

The review article discusses advances in genome editing of pea (Pisum sativum L.) using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Despite more than a decade of CRISPR/Cas9 application in plant biotechnology, the first successful genome editing in pea was achieved only in 2023, when researchers induced mutations in the model gene PsPDS, whose disruption leads to plant albinism. To date, CRISPR/Cas9 has also been used to introduce mutations in the PsLOX2 gene, encoding lipoxygenase, resulting in a reduced concentration of volatile compounds responsible for the undesirable odor of seeds, and in the PsBAS1 gene, leading to blocked saponin biosynthesis and improved seeds’ palatability. Researchers emphasize the need to further optimize transformation protocols to enhance their efficiency and address the low regenerative capacity of pea. The review also briefly outlines the history of CRISPR-Cas9 discovery and its development as a key genome editing tool. In addition, it examines CRISPR/Cas9 modifications that improve editing precision and their potential applications in pea genome engineering. A key aspect of the article is the discussion of CRISPR/Cas9 as a tool for modulating the specificity and efficiency of pea symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which may contribute to the development of resilient and productive agroecosystems.

Ecological genetics. 2025;23(1):81-98
pages 81-98 views

Problems in genetic education

The role of the Drosophila genetic collection in the formation of modern scientific research directions and in the educational process at the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology of Saint Petersburg State University
Barabanova L.V., Grudkova D.M., Golubkova E.V.
Abstract

Genetic analysis, as a fundamental method of genetics, is possible under the obligatory condition of presence of hereditarily different variants of the same features. Success of the analysis depends on the breadth of diversity of hereditary forms available to the researcher. In this regard, creation and maintenance of genetic collections is the first stage of genetic analysis. At present, genetic collections, including Drosophila, have not lost their primary importance even despite the obvious superiority of molecular methods in genetics and shift of research to the level of features characterizing the peculiarities of individual molecules. In many ways, it is the collection material that serves as a starting point in the development of new research directions in modern genetics. In addition, it should be noted that the task of the educational process at the university is to develop the student’s ability to analyze, critically evaluate the results of the experiment, and understand the logic of the experiment. In this regard, the use of genetic collections is an integral part of the educational process, allowing to stimulate the development of the required qualities.

Ecological genetics. 2025;23(1):99-106
pages 99-106 views

6. History, personalities, book reviews, information

Review of the book of abstracts of the Fourth International Conference “Genetically modified organisms: The History, Achievements, Social and Environmental Risks”, Saint Petersburg, October 21–23, 2024
Abstract

The book of abstracts of the Fourth International Conference “Genetically modified organisms: The History, Achievements, Social and Environmental Risks” contains 38 abstracts covering a broad field of GMO research. Nowadays genetically modified organisms, their construction and study, are an essential part of many investigations as well as a part of modern agriculture. The results presented in the book are from different fields of research and performed on a broad range of organisms (plants, animals, fungi and algae).

Ecological genetics. 2025;23(1):107-109
pages 107-109 views